The name Own The Ball came from my wife.
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of Power, of Love and of Self-discipline.” ~ II Timothy 1:7
What we are trying to say using a phrase and a verse is that God made you, and you are an incredible person. Your size and shape and personality are all part of what makes you uniquely you. And you start from day one to build these into the person that you are today.
You are of great worth.
You are awesome.
Never let anyone convince you that you aren’t.
God wants to have a relationship with you — the real you.
You don’t need to pretend to be something you aren’t so that God will like you. He knows what you do, what your thoughts are. He knows your feelings and desires. And he still wants to have a relationship with you.
There are things in life that you can’t control. But you can control your heart, your mind, your soul and your strength. These are what God wants from you in a relationship: that you choose to love him with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. And to love other people and to love yourself.
Own The Ball was a term we used with the junior high girls basketball team. We taught them that in practice and in games NO ONE TAKES THE BALL FROM YOU. You can shoot it, pass it, dribble it, but no one takes the ball from you. Not a coach, not a teammate, not the opposing team, not a parent, not a ref. No one takes it from you. In life no one takes your heart, soul, mind or strength. You can give them, but no one takes them.
How do you do that? By using the power and love and self-control that God has given you. Use them and they increase, don’t use them and they shrivel and decrease.
Don’t let life happen to you.
Don’t let others take control from you.
Take control of your life.
Figure out what YOU believe and then live what you believe.